Vacation
by JWolf28
Summary: Tony realizes that he's been overworking Pepper and makes her take a vacation. Post-IM1 and pre-IM1. Rated because Tony can be a potty mouth. Eventual Pepperony.
1. Chapter 1

She was working late as per usual at the main office. She thought she was alone, everyone else having left long before, so she kicked off her heels and sat back in her chair for a moment with her eyes closed before she set back to working. She had been working steadily for almost three more hours before she realized that she desperately needed a break. Her vision was getting slightly blurry and her shoulders were stiff. Standing up and grabbing a bottle of water from the mini-fridge she had installed next to her desk long go, Pepper stretched and took a swig of water before her eyes landed on the guitar that had been given to her by Tony on one of his crazy whims. She had seen it in a store and displayed an interest and Tony had just bought it and left it in her office with a picture of Iron Man taped to it.

Pepper decided that the instrument had been collecting dust for far too long and she was alone so she might as well play it. Pepper sat back down in her chair and pulled the guitar into her arms, her fingers settling over the chords as she strummed them gently before deciding on a song. Landslide by Stevie Nicks.

There was a soft clapping and Pepper whirled around, jumping in surprise and almost fumbling her guitar as she saw Tony behind her, sitting in the chair in front of her desk. He smiled crookedly. "I know I don't have an appointment, but I had to see who had such a glorious voice."

Pepper rolled her eyes and set the guitar back on the stand. "I was taking a break."

"I can see that. And I'm glad you did or I might have thought I bought that guitar for nothing."

Pepper chuckled and sighed, stretching again. Tony frowned suddenly. "How long have you been here?"

"Here as in the office?"

"Yeah."

Pepper looked at the clock, jumping a little in surprise as she realized what time it was. "Oh, well, considering the fact that it's almost one in the morning, I have been here for about twelve hours."

Tony shook his head. "Yeah, no, you're not staying here a second longer." Tony grabbed Pepper's hand and pulled her from her chair and led her to the door, his hands on her shoulders. Pepper frowned.

"Why are you here anyway?"

"I forgot a piece of the Mark VIII in my office when I came here this morning to get the speech from you."

"Oh. And what piece was that?"

Tony bit his lip, smiling sheepishly. "The helmet."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm pretty sure that's an important part you're not supposed to forget."

"I'm well aware. Now, I am not having you drive all the way back to your apartment. I'll drive you to the mansion and you can stay in the guest room."

Pepper eyed Tony warily. "It's only fifteen minutes to my apartment."

"Yeah, and that's fifteen minutes that you may fall asleep at the wheel and hurt yourself." At Pepper's look, Tony sighed. "I promise not to try anything. Scout's honor."

Pepper chuckled. "You were kicked out of the scouts."

"I'm telling you, I did not set that fire!"

Pepper laughed and shook her head. "Fine, I will sleep in the guest room. Let me just grab the change of clothes from my office."

Tony cocked his head to the side slightly, looking a bit like a confused puppy. "You have a change of clothes in your office?"

"I have pulled more than one all-nighters, Tony. I can't just come out wearing the same clothes as yesterday or people might be suspicious."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Suspicious of what? That you might actually be one employee that works hard enough to earn her salary? A salary I should probably raise, by the way."

Pepper grabbed a duffle bag from under her desk and following Tony out of the office. "No, I don't need any more money. I have plenty as it is."

"Not as much as me."

"Very few people have as much money as you, Tony."

"I know, it's awesome."

Pepper chuckled. "I am fine, Tony. I could probably never work another day in my life and be just fine."

Tony opened the passenger side door for Pepper and got in the driver's seat himself, tossing a worried look in her direction. "But you're not going to quit, right?"

"Good heavens, no. Not only would I have far too much time on my hands, but I can't leave you alone. You'd probably work to death in that lab of yours if I weren't there."

Tony considered this. "Good point. I can always ignore JARVIS or put him on mute. But you don't have a mute button. Plus, JARVIS doesn't make killer grilled cheese sandwiches."

Pepper chuckled. "No, I don't suppose he does."

Tony pulled up in front of the Malibu mansion and walked Pepper to the guest room before telling her goodnight and walking back down to the workshop. "Hey, J, how many times had Pepper stayed at the office overnight?"

"Twice in the past week, sir."

"And when was the last time she's gotten a full night's sleep?"

"As far as I am aware, Ms. Potts has not gotten more than five hours' rest each night for the past month and a half, sir."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek. "She told you to set an alarm, didn't she?"

"Yes, sir, for seven o'clock in the morning."

"Turn it off. As of now, Pepper is on a two-week vacation. I think I've overworked my assistant."

"Judging from the amount of work Ms. Potts does compared to the rest she has gotten, that statement is correct."

Tony sighed heavily. "Okay, don't wake her tomorrow, let her sleep in, and let me know when she's up. I want to take care of her for a change."

**A/N: Questions, comments, concerns? I don't own Ironman or any of it's characters.**


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper came awake slowly, completely relaxed in a bed that was much softer than her own. She opened her eyes, the events of the night before coming to her mind as JARVIS told her the weather and water conditions of the beach she could see outside the blinds. Pepper stretched and sighed, feeling rested for the first time in a while when she froze. "JARVIS, what time is it?"

"It is currently ten thirty in the morning, Ms. Potts."

Pepper gaped. "Ten thirty? I thought I set the alarm for seven!"

"You did, but Mr. Stark ordered me to turn it off."

"And why would he do that? No, you know what; I'm going to go ask him myself!"

Pepper pulled a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top over her sport bra and panties and hurried from the room, finding Tony in the shop. "Tony, what the hell?"

Tony looked up in surprise. "Oh, hey, Pep. I thought JARVIS was going to tell me when you woke up."

"Tony, what were you thinking, turning off my alarm? I do have to go to work, you know!"

Tony held up his hands. "Pep, relax. Nobody is expecting you to come in for another two weeks. Effective one twenty last night, you are on a mandatory two week vacation, courtesy of me. You work too much; I wanted you to take a break."

Pepper simply stared at Tony for a moment and Tony squirmed. "Uh, did I cross some kind of line? Because if I did, just let me know. Pepper?"

Pepper broke into a smile. "Thank you, Tony."

Tony grinned. "Yeah. You kind of scared me for a moment there, Pep. I thought you were going to yell at me."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "You gave me a two-week vacation, why in the world would I be mad?"

"I don't know, you're Pepper."

Pepper chuckled. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

"Not even close. I had some clothes brought here for you, they're outside the door by your room. There should be a swimsuit. Put that on and meet me in the kitchen."

"Any particular reason why?"

"You are relaxing today. I have it all planned out. There's a café down by the beach I think you'd like."

Pepper smiled. "Okay, I'll go get ready."

Tony grinned as Pepper left the room and he cast his gaze between the door and the suit he was working on, deciding just a moment later that the suit could wait. Tony washed his hands and changed from his work clothes into a pair of swim trunks and a tee-shirt. He was waiting in the kitchen ten minutes later and only a moment after he sat down, Pepper came out, wearing a white sundress over a bikini that Tony could just see under the dress. Her strawberry blonde hair was down, falling in gentle curls down her back. Pepper smiled. "You know, I don't quite remember having some of these clothes in my closet, Tony."

"Yeah, that's because I had some new stuff ordered for you. I didn't want Happy in your apartment, going through your clothes like an eighth grader on a dare."

Pepper laughed and grinned. Tony smiled at her. "Ready to go?"

"Yes. Are you?"

Tony chuckled. "For once, I am. And, don't bother with shoes. You don't need them for the café and we'll be walking along the beach so you'll get sand on your feet either way."

Pepper nodded and Tony opened the door, ushering her out.

They walked down the beach, the sand warming their feet as they chatted; first about the company and then meaningless things such as book and movie preferences. When they got to the café, Tony and Pepper approached the counter. The cashier smiled at them. "Hello, welcome to Christy's Café, would you like to try our strawberry iced tea?"

Pepper opened her mouth, but Tony cut her off. "No, thanks. We'll have some peach iced tea and two omelets with everything."

The cashier nodded and put in their order and Tony paid the bill, no matter Pepper's objection. Tony got them a table outside and as they waited, Pepper looked to Tony. "Don't like strawberry?"

"I like it just fine, but you're allergic. I don't want you to have an allergic reaction and all my plans to go to waste."

Pepper smiled, Tony for once, remembering her allergy to strawberries. As they ate, they talked a little more and then walked down the beach before Tony settled on a spot not too far from the house. From seemingly nowhere, Tony produced a pair of towels, an old sheet to put on the sand to sit on, some sunscreen, and a cooler full of water bottles.

Pepper grinned widely and Tony spread the sheet out, motioning for her to sit down before taking a seat himself. They sat and just watched the waves crash against the shore for a moment before Tony looked at Pepper. "So, are you gonna go in the water? Because I totally am."

Pepper shrugged and grabbed the bottle of sunscreen and began rubbing it onto her arms. "I'm thinking about it."

Tony smiled and nodded before tossing his shirt to the side and running into the ocean. Pepper laughed as she watched him run through the waves like a kid as he went too far out and would get knocked over by a wave and then washed back to shore. After a few minutes, Pepper removed her sundress and joined him.

**A/N: So, thoughts? A ginormous thanks to all of you who reviewed and to clarify, this is before Iron Man 2 but after Iron Man 1, although, it probably won't follow all the events of the second Iron Man movie.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So sorry for how long it took me to write this. I've been having a little trouble writing fluff for these two, so I'm going to add some suspense to help myself along. Let me know what you think. And another thanks to those that review, followed, and favorited.**

Pepper walked slowly into the waves, trying to adjust to the water temperature. Closing her eyes and breathing in the salty air, she realized that she more relaxed than she had in a long time.

The peaceful moment ended when Pepper felt Tony's arms wrap around her waist as he dragged her deeper into the water. Pepper shrieked as the cool water soaked her and Tony laughed loudly. Once they were waist deep, Tony let Pepper go and she splashed him with the ocean water. "What is wrong with you?!"

Tony grinned. "You were just standing there, I had to do something."

Pepper shook her head. "You didn't _have_ to do anything; you wanted to ruin my peace."

Tony shrugged, his chocolate-brown eyes shining with mischief. "Guilty as charged, Pep. But at least you're in now."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm in now."

For a few hours, the two swam around, dodging waves (Pepper dodged, Tony tried to drag her in), and when they were both tired, they walked back down the beach to the mansion. Pepper walked in and made a bee-line for the shower, wanting to get all the sand off her, but Tony paused and waited to hear the sound of the water running to speak. "Hey, J, how are those dinner plans looking?"

"I have made reservation for you and Ms. Potts at the requested location."

"Great. And what time is it again?"

"Seven thirty, sir."

Tony looked at the clock. It was going on three thirty. That gave him a few hours down in the shop before he got ready. Tony took ten minutes to eat a sandwich from the bunch he had had the fridge stocked with and was about to head to the shop when Pepper, as if reading his mind, poked her head out of the bathroom. "Don't you dare get sand all over that shop! Get a shower first."

"But, Peeeepppppppeeerrrrrrrrr, I want to go down _now_."

"I don't care, if you get sand all over the floor down there, I will never be able to get it all out."

Tony pouted but made his way over to the master bathroom anyway. Pepper smirked and exited the bathroom in a pair of jeans and an ACDC tee-shirt from the bag of clothes Tony had gotten for her. As much as she liked her own clothes, she had to admit that she loved the outfits that Tony had picked out. She could finally understand why he only wore what he did. It was damned comfortable.

As Pepper was looking through the rest of her clothes, her Blackberry chimed and she was about to grab it, but Tony ran into the room and snatched it away from her. "No, no, no. You are on vacation, you are not taking calls, e-mails, or texts. Nothing."

Pepper sighed and held out her hand. "Give me my phone, Tony."

Tony shook his head. "Whoever it is, they can talk to you later."

"What if it's my sister?"

"Nope. She can talk to you later too."

Pepper sighed and shook her head. "Fine, I won't use my phone, but I expect it back later tonight, or I'll use JARVIS to check my e-mail, texts, and make calls."

Tony scowled. "Fine, deal."

Pepper grinned victoriously before realizing that Tony had failed to put on anything other than a pair of boxer. She blushed and tried to look at anything other than Tony's bare chest. Tony, noticing this, grinned. "See something you like, Potts?"

Pepper looked at her feet, not able to help the small smiled creeping onto her face. "Go get dressed, Tony."

"Are you sure you want me to?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and turned away, grabbing a shirt off the bed and folding it before putting it in the dresser. Suddenly, Tony's arms were around her waist, his lips pressing into the back of her head. Pepper closed her eyes, giving into the part of her that harbored a crush on her boss for but a moment before she sighed. "Let go, Tony."

"Why?"

"We can't do this."

"Why not? We both feel it; I know we do."

"You are my boss, Tony. I don't want to be like all the other assistants. I know what happened. I can't do that."

"You could never be like them. Just give me a chance to prove it! We can go out to dinner tonight. A date. I don't take girls on dates; you know that."

Pepper bit her lip in thought. It was true, Tony didn't take girls on dates and she really hated to hear him beg like that. "Fine. But if I get upset, you let me go back to my apartment for the rest of my vacation."

Tony grinned, as happy as a child, pulling Pepper to him in a hug. "You want need to. I'll make it the night of your life."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Go get some clothes on, Tony."

"Right. Be ready by seven o'clock." Tony ran from the room and Pepper smiled. In his elated state, Tony had left her phone behind. Pepper lifted it off the dresser and opened the text, frowning at the message. "You looked beautiful today."

Pepper tapped out a quick reply. "Who is this? Tony?"

A new text appeared. "No. You could say I'm your admirer. I loved the sundress." A second later, Pepper got a picture message. The picture was taken from a distance and it made Pepper drop her phone in shock. It was a picture of her and Tony walking on the beach that morning.


	4. Chapter 4

While she was getting ready, all Pepper could think about was the message she got. By the time she came out of the fog, it was six o'clock and Pepper raced around the room, realizing that she only had an hour to get her hair done and pick out her dress and shoes, Pepper could put her make-up on in her sleep, and looking in the mirror, she figured that at some point during her thought session, she must have fixed herself up.

Pepper threw open the closet door and looked through it for a moment before her eyes landed on a blue dress that was almost identical to the one she had worn to the benefit the night she and Tony had danced. Tony had never told her what she should wear, but pulling the dress out of the closet, she a sticky note stuck to it that said "Wear this for dinner."

Pepper smiled and laid the dress on the bed before going to the bathroom to do her hair.

Downstairs, Tony was adding the finishing touches to his suit. "Hey, JARVIS, how long until my date with Pepper?"

"You have approximately thirty minutes until the time you told Ms. Potts that the two of you were scheduled to leave."

"Do you think I can get ready in that time?"

"Yes, sir, you are still mostly clean from you earlier shower and it has taken you at more fifteen minutes for you to get dressed on previous occasions."

"Okay, I'll start now then. This is Pepper; I want everything to be perfect. Did she find the dress?"

"Yes, sir, she is putting it on now. Shall I pull up a video feed?"

"No, I don't want to invade her privacy."

"Yes, because that's always stopped you before."

"Other girls aren't Pepper. I respect her."

"Of course, sir."

Tony ran up the stairs and quickly washed the grease from his hands before grabbing a comb from a cup on the counter and running it through his hair, adding gel when he was done. He shaved, brushed his teeth, and grabbed his suit from the closet. When he was dressed, there were only two minutes until seven so he started walking towards Pepper's room.

Once Tony was outside her door, he waited until seven on the dot to knock. Pepper must have been waiting because only a moment later, she came out and Tony's jaw dropped when he saw her. The dress looked just as amazing on her as the one from the benefit and her hair was down, cascading down her back in curls. She wore minimal make-up, just smoothing out her freckles and a little lip gloss, eye shadow, and mascara. The blue of the dress brought out her eyes and the overall effect made Tony have to stop for a few moments in order to remember his own name. Pepper smiled as she saw him and chuckled at his expression. "Close your mouth, Tony; you're going to catch flies."  
Tony's mouth snapped shut and he grinned. "I would gladly catch a thousand flies if it meant seeing you like this everyday."

Pepper blushed and Tony gently took her hand, leading her towards the front door of the mansion. When she didn't object, Tony intertwined their fingers and walked her down the drive to one of his less flashy cars, knowing she wouldn't want the attention. He opened the door for her and once she was in, ran around to the other side of the car, hopped in, and started the engine.

To Pepper's surprise, Tony took her to a gala that was being held by one of Malibu's wealthiest in honor of his daughter's eighteenth birthday. It seemed to be the kind of thing Tony would show up to alone or with a model, but Tony's eyes rarely strayed from Pepper, even when one woman Pepper recognized as a model had taken an interest in at another party had tried to get his attention. Tony had give the underwear model a disinterested glance before returning to his conversation with Pepper.

As the evening was winding down, after a three course meal and a toast to the reason for the gala, Tony took Pepper by the hand and led her to the dance floor, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him as they swayed to the music. Tony smiled at Pepper. "So, are you enjoying yourself?"

Pepper smiled back, not half as nervous as she had been the first time they'd danced. "I am, actually. This has been lovely, Tony."

"Good, I want you to have an amazing time tonight."

Pepper smiled again, and when he angled his face towards hers, his eyes on her lips, she didn't pull away, didn't turn, but let him touch his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. They stayed like that for a few moments before someone cleared their throat and the two part, Pepper blushing and Tony looking like all his Christmases had come at once. Tony pressed another kiss to Pepper's lips quickly and threaded his fingers though hers, continuing the dance with a large grin on his face.

As the hours tick by, Tony and Pepper dance some, talked some, and kissed plenty. It seemed that Tony no longer cared who saw them together and Pepper was slowly but surely following his path.

Around midnight, as Pepper stifled a yawn, Tony took her hand and led her out the door. "I think it's time to go home, don't you, Pep?"

Pepper nodded and yawned again. Tony led her to their car, opening the door for her once again. Once they were back at the mansion, Tony got out the car and, when he found Pepper was dozing, gave a small smile, lifting Pepper from her seat and carrying her bridal style. As he approached the door, he kept his voice low as he spoke. "Open the door, J."

The door swung open and Tony carried Pepper into her room, lowering her onto the bed and removing her heels before folding the blanket over her. He kissed her forehead and left.

He watched them from his cruiser when they arrived, saw when the kissed, and followed them back to the mansion. He saw Stark carry her back in. His brother would be upset, that was for sure. He dialed Matthew's number, waiting for him to pick up. When there was no answer, he sighed. "Matt, it's your brother. You really need to start answering the phone. Anyway, there's been a new development. We need to talk. My shift ends in thirty minutes. I'll meet you at my place."

He hangs up the phone and sighs, restarting his car and continuing his rounds.

**A/N: Leave me a review pretty please. And thanks to those that already have, I'm sending you all a mental hug right now.**


	5. Chapter 5

Pepper stretched as she woke, smiling as memories from the night before returned. She slipped out of the bed and changed out of her dress from the gala into a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt before grabbing a towel and heading to the bathroom to shower. She let the water spill over her as her thoughts turned once more to the date with Tony. She'd had an excellent time as he'd predicted and she hoped he knew it.

As Pepper dried off, she heard her phone chime. She wrapped a towel around herself and stepped into her room. She was about to grab her phone when it chimed again and she frowned. She opened the first text, barely containing her scream. It was a picture of her in her bed, sleeping. It couldn't have been taken very long before. She clicked onto the next text and dropped her phone as she saw it. It had been taken only a few minutes prior. Pepper had a towel wrapped around her and was reaching for her phone. Pepper ran to the window, closed the curtains, quickly got dressed in the clothes she had been wearing before her shower, and was breathing heavily by the time her phone chimed again. The message opened automatically and as she looked at it, Pepper screamed loudly. It was another picture, this one of her at the window as she yanked the curtain shut. The message underneath it was "I'm looking forward to formally meeting you."

Tony was working on the motor on one of his hot rods when JARVIS spoke. "Sir, I am reading an elevation in Ms. Potts' heart rate."

"Is she awake?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's she doing?"

"At the moment, she is closing all the curtains in her quarters."

Tony frowned. Her scream came a moment later and the fact that he could hear it all the way down in the shop made Tony jump out of his seat and run up the stairs faster than he thought possible. He threw open the door to her room and found her with tears streaming down her face as she stared at her phone where it lay on the floor. Tony frowned and picked the small device up, the screen lighting as he touched it. The air left his lungs as he looked at the picture that was displayed. Anger roared through him. "What kind of sick fuck?!" Tony hit an arrow, anger mixing with worry as the next the three pictures he saw were all of Pepper and all taken from a distance. "JARVIS, trace the texts, see what you can find. When you get a location, create a flight plan and fire up the Mark VII."

"Sir, that suit is still not fully functional from the attack by Mr. Stane."

"Then use the Mark VIII. We don't have time for this, J."

"The Mark VIII is just a prototype, sir."

"Is it bulletproof?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can I shook and fly with it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then it's good enough. Now, fins the sick asshole that is stalking Pepper."

Said woman was still crying and Tony stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her slim body and tucking her head underneath his chin. When she wore heels, she was about the same height as him, but with out the, he was several inches taller.

Once Pepper stopped shaking, Tony pulled away and looked at her. "When did you get those messages?"

"One last night, three this morning."

"One last night?! And you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't this serious! I've gotten texts like this before; it comes with the territory, Tony!"

"This has happened before?"

"Yes. Every so often, I'll get a threatening call or text. I just report it and let it go. There's not much else I can do."

"You can tell me! I'd take care of it. I'll always take care of you, Pep!"

Pepper sighed, more tears falling. "I know, Tony. I know."

Tony frowned more. "Please don't cry, Pep. I'm sorry I yelled."

Pepper shook her head. "It isn't you, Tony. Did you read the message attached to the last picture?"

"No." Tony reopened the message once more and grimaced, a swirling feeling of nausea in his stomach. "Lock down the house, J. I don't want anyone coming in or out unless specifically authorized in or out unless specifically authorized by me or Pepper."

"Of course, sir."

"And call Rhodey. I don't want Pepper to be alone when I go out to find the sick bastard."

Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it to her ear, Rhode's number already dialed. The colonel's voice was groggy when he picked up. "What, Tony? It's Saturday, I'm sleeping in."

"Someone's stalking Pepper. I want you to stay with her while I go out and find them."

"I'll be there soon. I should get there in about ten minutes."

"Good, this guy is a creep. He sent her—you know what, I'll tell you when you get here."

"Sure thing. Rhodes out."

Tony hung up and Pepper's phone rang. Pepper frowned and snagged her phone from his hand before he could react. "This is Pepper Potts."

"Hello, Virginia."

Tony frowned and Pepper shuddered. "May I inquire who this is?"

"You know me, Virginia. I'm always there. I'm always watching for you."

"Who is this?" There was a hint of hysteria to her voice.

"Goodbye, Virginia, I look forward to seeing you again."

There was a dial tone and Tony's jaw clenched. "Did you trace the call, J?"

"Of course, sir. Shall I start up the Mark VIII?"

Tony hesitated. "How far out is Rhodey?"

"Colonel Rhodes is approximately two minutes away."

Tony sighed. "Okay. Start up the suit and tell Rhodey to hurry up. When he gets here, you can let him in." Tony turned to Pepper. "Are you okay on your own for a couple of minutes?"

Pepper nodded and Tony pressed a quick kiss to her lips before running from the room. Tony was outside in his suit, flying over Malibu in just a few moments. "Okay, J, where did the call come from?"

"The call originated from the hall closet approximately fifteen feet from Ms. Potts' room."

Tony did an about-face and flew as fast as he could back home.

~Pepper sighed as she sat down on her bed. She heard a door slam and stood, exiting the room. "Rhodey?"

She heard a chuckle behind her and a sweet-smelling cloth covered her mouth and nose. Dimly, she recalled reading about the sweet smell of chloroform in one of Tony's science magazines, but by the time the information surfaced, she had already taken a breath. The last thing she remembered was the same voice from the phone call saying "Hey, Mike, I've got her. We'll be out in a minute." Then everything went black.

**A/N: Reviews make my heart happy, and I swear they make me update faster.**


	6. Chapter 6

She couldn't see anything when she woke up, but she suspected that was because of the blindfold she felt covering her face. She was on some sort of hard surface, but whether it was metal or something else she didn't know.

Pepper's head was pounding as she tried to sit up, but it didn't take a genius to tell that her hands were and feet were bound and she doubted she could little more than flop around like a fish, especially since her hands were tied behind her back. Once Pepper tried to move, there was a pair of hands on her shoulders, holding her down. "Shhh, Virginia, you're alright. Just lie still. Once Mike gets back from the bathroom, we'll be moving right along. We'll get to our destination soon and I'll untie you. Everything will be okay."

A door was slammed open and a new voice sounded, just a little distance from Pepper. "Matt! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"She was panicking, Mike, I couldn't just let her freak out."

"You know why we're doing this, big brother, and it is _not _because of your little obsession."

There was anger in 'Matt's' voice when he spoke next. "I know exactly why we're doing this but I can't how I feel-"

"Control it, or bad things may happen to Ms. Potts."

"Don't you dare threaten her! You promised that you wouldn't hurt her! You promised!"

"I know, but if you get in the way, I may need some insurance. We'll make the video when we get there. Put her under."

There was a small pinch at Pepper's neck and she felt her body unwillingly relax. Pepper whimpered slightly and one of the men sighed before Matt said "I'm sorry, Virginia."

* * *

Tony angrily paced the floor of the living room. He hadn't found hide nor hair of Pepper and the on thing he could find worried him more than anything. There was a note written in block letter that said "we'll call." On top of all that, JARVIS had a glitch from a bug that had somehow been planted in the security system, both letting in the intruder and having JARVIS get him into the suit and out of the mansion before letting him know that the intruder had been just feet away from them the entire time.

Rhodey had yet to arrive and Tony was debating calling the police. The only problem was that there wasn't any proof other than the note that showed that Pepper had been taken. Tony knew that she had been taken, of course; he could feel it in his bones, but the police wouldn't go on just that. They need proof, like footage or something. Footage.

Tony's head snapped up and he stopped in his tracks, running to the nearest computer and pulling up the security footage from outside Pepper's room just after he had left. The screen flickered to life ad Pepper was seen exiting her room. _"Rhodey?"_

As Pepper moved down the hallway, a man in a mask crept up behind her and grabbed hold of her. He chuckled and covered her mouth and nose with a cloth. Pepper struggled for only a moment before she went limp. The man kept a good hold on her as he dug a phone out of his pocket. From what Tony can hear from the enhanced security system, the call goes to voicemail before the man speaks. _"Hey, Mike, I've got her; we'll be out in a minute."_

Dread settled in the pit of Tony's stomach and he starts to pace again. After a little while, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. Not long later, Rhodey finally made appeared. Tony glared at him. "Where the hell have you been?"

"My tire blew out, I got here as fast as I could. How's Pepper?"

Tony hit the replay button on the computer and Rhodey's eyes widened as he saw the footage. "Do we know who took her?'

"No, but they left a note. I'd have JARVIS scan it and run it through everything to see if there's any handwriting matches, but he's been glitching because of a bug. I need to fix it before I can do anything else."

Rhodey sighed. "You mentioned someone sending Pepper something.'

"Yeah, pictures. The guy texted her a few picture. The two of us on the beach, Pepper sleeping, standing by the window; that kind of thing.

"Do you still have her phone?"

Tony frowned and walked quickly to Pepper's room, eyes widening with realization. "It's not here. Either they took it with her or she still has it."

Rhodey grinned. "Good. Go fix JARVIS and I'll get a hold of the police. We'll find her, Tony."

* * *

When she woke up again, she was on a couch. Her hands were still tied, but in front of her and her feet her completely free. Her eyes were covered, but lifting her hands, she was able to pull the cloth away and take in her surroundings. Pepper was in some sort of room. There was just a door, no windows, and testing the doorknob, she huffed an annoyed sigh as she discovered it was locked. Turning her attention to the knot, Pepper tried to reach with her fingertips to get the piece of twine that would free her. After a moment of failure, Pepper shook her head at her own stupidity and used her teeth to undo the knot.

With that done, Pepper, looked at the room with renewed interest. It only took her a few minutes to figure that getting out of the room would be next to impossible. Sitting back on the couch, Pepper jumped a foot in the air at the realization that her Blackberry was in her back pocket. Doing a more thorough inspection of the room, she came to the conclusion that her captors had failed to put up any security cameras.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, Pepper unlocked the screen and her heart sank. She had not signal.

* * *

"Hey, Mike, do you think she's awake yet?"

"The sedative should have worn off an hour and a half ago, Matt. Now is not the time to indulge in you fixation."

Matthew folded his arms over his chest. "It's not a fixation. I love her."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't you have to go to work or something?"

Matthew jumped. "Oh, oh crap, you're right. Once Stark reports Virginia missing, I'll need to write the article." Matthew grabbed his press badge. "You work tonight, Mike?"

"Not unless I get called in. I got booted from my shift. Chief says I've been working too much lately."

Matthew nodded. "See you tonight then. Do you want me to give her the sandwich and water now?"

"Whatever."

Matthew nodded again and opened the door to Virginia's room after he put on his mask. Virginia was on the couch, her strawberry blonde curls covering half her face and her eyes closed. Matthew smiled and moved her hair out of her face before setting the food and water on the table next to her and leaving.

* * *

It took all Pepper had not to shudder when the man touched her, but once he was gone, Pepper jumped up and started pacing the room. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she tried to get some sort of signal.

Standing on the couch after pushing it into the corner, Pepper grinned broadly. One bar.

**A/N: So, what'd you think? As per usual, I don't own Iron Man or any of its characters. Please leave a review and I'll try to update soon. Suggestions are welcome.**


	7. Chapter 7

After Tony had rebooted JARVIS, he scanned the letter into his system and the AI was comparing it to anything that had been handwritten and scanned into a computer. Tony was back to pacing the room while he waited when the computer dinged and Tony turned to it. "What is it, J?"

"Ms. Potts phone is online, sir."

Tony froze. "Can you track it?"

"No, sir, it would appear there is something blocking the signal."

"Can you call her?"

"Yes, sir, but I would not suggest it as we are not sure if it is Ms. Potts that is in possession of her cellular phone."

"Work on getting past whatever is blocking the signal and let me know when you get an update. How's it going with the note?"

"I have no matches yet."

"Keep me posted."

Tony went back to pacing and Rhodey sighed as he entered the room. "You're going to wear a hole in the carpet."

"I'll stop when I know if Pepper's okay."

"Okay. Anyway, the police are here to talk to you."

Tony nodded and went to talk to the police chief.

Pepper scrolled through her contacts, trying to find Tony's number. She knew that she didn't have enough of a signal to make a call, but she could send a text and let Tony know that she was okay, but didn't have a clue to where she was, only that she had been in a vehicle and seemed to be in some sort of underground room at the moment. The message was short and lacked her usual Harvard level grammar, using a lot of texting lingo, but she needed to get it done fast so it would send. As she hit the send button and silently begged her phone to get the text out, the door slammed open, and Pepper whirled around, her phone dropping behind the couch as another man in a mask entered the room. "What the hell are you doing?"

Pepper's immediate response was to say 'nothing', but she suspected that would only anger the man so she stayed silent. When she didn't reply, Pepper saw the man's eyes narrow behind the mask. "I asked you a question."

"I wasn't doing anything."

"You were holding something. What was it?"

"Nothing."

The man was next to her a moment later, yanking her down from the couch, making her fall to the concrete floor. "I don't believe that for a second."

The air was knocked out of Pepper's lungs from the fall and she gasped, trying to breathe in. The couch was pulled away from the wall and Pepper's eyes turned to the door. The man had left it open and his back was to her as he dug around behind the couch for whatever she had dropped. There was a small noise as the man accidentally batted her phone and the device slid out from underneath the couch, stopping a couple of inches from Pepper's hand, though the man didn't seem to notice this.

Pepper moved slowly, afraid of alerting the man and lifted her phone from the floor, the 'message sent' icon making her want to cry with relief. She quietly got to her feet, edging her way to the door and as soon as she was in the hall, she ran up the stair as quietly as she could, doing her best to remain silent. Pepper shoved her phone back into her pocket and could see the door, was almost to it, when it was flung open and the other man entered the room, a press badge clipped to his shirt, naming him Matthew Andrews, a reporter for the same newspaper Christine Everheart worked for.

Shock played on Matthew's features for a moment before he dropped the cups he was holding and grabbed her around the middle, trapping her arms by her sides as she struggled to get free. The other man was up the stairs a second later, his fist raised and Pepper turned her head to try to dodge to blow, but failed. Looking out the window, Pepper took in her surroundings noting that it seemed she was in a cabin in the forest somewhere. Then her head snapped back from the impact of the fist and stars danced in front of her vision, stunning her and making a cry force its way from her mouth.

Matthew glared at his brother, hatred in his hazel eyes. His jaw set in anger. Virginia was limp in his arms, gasping as she recovered from her almost escape and Michael's punch. "Why would you do that?! She wasn't doing anything; we could have just put her under again and put her back! You didn't have to hit her! You said we wouldn't hurt her!"

"She was going to escape. If she did, we'd big in deep shit because you know she would have run back to Stark and told him everything, including who we are."

"Are you kidding me? She doesn't know who we are."

"She does now; she's not stupid, she probably read your name from you badge."

Matthew looked down at his chest. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that."

"That's what I though. Now, go downstairs, tie her up, and move that stupid couch out of the room, she dropped something in it or behind it, I'm almost positive."

Matthew frowned at Michael. "But where's she going to sleep?"

"She can sleep on the floor, Matt. She's not a princess and she's not here for a sleepover; we need to tape her and list our demands so we can get the cash. You know just as well as I that if we don't do this soon, bad things will happen to all involved, including your precious Virginia."

Matthew frowned as the woman in his arms groaned and tried to lift her head, her face scrunched in pain. Matthew shook his head. "Did you have to hit her so hard?"

"Yes, I did, now get downstairs and tie her up so we can finish this thing."

Matthew sighed and led Virginia downstairs, binding her wrists tightly behind her back and shoving the couch out of the room. He couldn't help but feel guilty as he noticed the black eye blooming on her lovely face and he wondered just how far his brother might take it when his temper was tested.

Tony felt an enormous wave of relief as the text appeared on his phone from Pepper, stating that she was okay and in some unknown location. He desperately wanted to call, to hear her voice for himself, but, as JARVIS reminded him, Pepper might get hurt and/or found out and he couldn't allow that. As Tony sat at his desk, trying to decide how to get Pepper back, an e-mail popped up on his computer. Clicking the link to the video message, a screen popped up, a man on either side of a terrified and gagged and bound Pepper. The men demanded three million dollars to be transferred to an untraceable account and Tony watched the video three times, taking in every detail before any of it actually sunk in.

Tony's breaths started coming in short, quick gasps as he began to wonder for Pepper's safety, not for the first time. In an effort to calm himself down, Tony focused on the facts. Fact: Pepper had more than one captor. Fact: Pepper was in danger with them, if the black eye she had was any indication. Fact: Both the captors in the video were men. Fact: There had to be at least one more person in the room from the way the camera panned and occasionally zoomed in on Pepper. Fact: He had twenty-four hours to come up with something because he knew that if he just handed over the money, Pepper would never let it go. Fact: Tony was in love with Pepper and would do anything to get her back. Fact: Whoever had hurt her was going to pay.

**A/N: So, any thoughts? I am entirely open to suggestions and a very large thanks to all those who reviewed, especially the guest(s) that I got six reviews from in a row. It's nice to know you guys like this story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So, I'm sorry it's been a while since I updated, I've been busy. I was just doing all kinds of things last week and I started up at the local college here yesterday, so I didn't have time to write then, but since class got out early today, I was able to put together this chapter for you guys. An enormous thanks to everyone that reviewed, it always brightens my day when I get reviews so please leave plenty more! Just a quick warning for this chapter, there is a bit of Pepper whump towards the end of this chapter. Enjoy!**

Pepper moved her head around, trying to work all the kinks out of her neck. She hadn't slept on such a hard surface since she was a child and had gone camping with a friend, but had forgotten her sleeping bag. At least then she'd had a blanket, but in the basement, she had nothing.

After she had learned of Matthew's identity, he stopped wearing a mask, but the other two people kept theirs on, though the woman who had filmed the tape sounded eerily familiar. Pepper just couldn't place the voice. The other man was a mystery, though, but Pepper had heard him called both 'Michael' and 'bro' so she could only assume that the man was very close to Matthew. How she wasn't sure of yet, but she planned on finding out.

As the door to her room opened, Pepper looked up, finding Matthew watching her worriedly from the doorway. He had come in to check on her several times in the past hour, starting just after he had brought her the 'dinner' he had prepared for her. The cup of soup that had been placed in front of her had long since gone cold and as hungry as she was, her were tied. Literally. The idiot had failed to untie her so she could eat. Matthew frowned at her now, hazel eyes turning sad. "Going hungry won't solve anything, Virginia. You need to eat."

Pepper shot her captor a glare. "Are you kidding me? I can't eat because you won't untie me. It's hard eating with hands, you know."

Matthew looked conflicted, leaving for a moment, carefully closing the door behind himself, and returning with another tray, looking considerably brighter. "You're allowed to be untied to eat, but I have to stay with you. Michael won't allow anything other. I brought mine too so we could have supper together."

Pepper fought the urge to roll her eyes and stood, turning to be untied. There were a few things she had remembered about the reporter. For one, he'd asked her out several times, all of which she'd said no to. He'd once gotten in a fight with another reporter that had written a bad article on her and it resulted in his being arrested. If she remembered correctly, he was still on parole.

Sitting back down, Pepper massaged her wrists, trying to get some feeling back into her hands and wincing at how raw her skin was from the rough rope. Matthew sat across from her, brushing some black hair from his face. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to have to tie you up, but after that stunt you pulled yesterday, I had no choice. Mike wasn't big on the idea of letting you sit free in here in the first place and you trying to escape only made it so he's completely against the idea."  
Pepper frowned, staring at her soup and stirring it around with the spoon she was given before taking a sip, trying not to wrinkle her nose in distaste. Matthew must have caught the look because he chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Steen was the one who made it. Her cooking skills aren't exactly up to par. She tries, but she doesn't exactly succeed."

Pepper looked Matthew in the eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

Matthew's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Doing what?"

"Why did you take me? Why ransom me? What was the point of all this? You had to have had a reason."

Matthew frowned, pushing away his bowl. "Mike won't be happy if I tell you and Steen would be really, really mad."

"You kidnapped me and hit me; I think I deserve to know why I'm here."

"I did not hit you! That was Michael! I would never hurt you!"

Pepper kept her gaze steady. "Once you get your money, your cohorts are going to kill me. I've seen your face; you've told me your names. You know this won't end well. They're going to kill me and there will be nothing you can do about it."

"I won't let you die! They won't hurt you. I won't let them."

Pepper tamped down the urge to roll her eyes once more. "Why are you doing this?"

Matthew jumped to his feet, pacing the room. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. We just wanted to be set. Our parents weren't rich; we lived in roach and rat infested apartments. We didn't want that, but after I got arrested, it started up again. We didn't have enough money and we don't want to live like that! Plus, Mike has Steen now and she likes nice things. You don't get nice things on a cop's salary."

Pepper nodded. "They don't pay them half as much as they should."

"Exactly! But Mike loves Steen and wants to get her these nice things so he borrowed money from some not so nice people. The money we were going to get from you would be enough to cover all these things. We'd be able to do what we wanted and never have to work another day in our lives."

Pepper sighed. "That doesn't make it right."

"No, but it's what we wanted and we were tired of living differently."

Pepper pushed her tray away from herself. "I'm done."

Matthew nodded and took the two trays away after tying her up again.

Tony was sitting at a computer, typing as fast as he could without missing a key. Rhodey entered the room and watched with wide eyes for a moment. "What are you doing?"

"I'm working on a bug to get into the other system; the one that belongs to the people keeping Pepper. If I could somehow get the bug into their system, I could bring down whatever's blocking the signal and find Pepper."

"How would you get it onto their system?"

Tony grinned. "I was able to get onto their computer for a couple of seconds before the firewall knocked me out. I got their e-mail address. Typical Gmail account, nothing that can be traced, but I can attach the bug to an e-mail and make it from a private sender. When they open the message, it looks like spam, but the bug worms its way into the system and we can find Pepper."

Rhodey grinned. "It's genius, Tony."

Tony turned around with a grin. "Now, I need to find something to send that's spam-worthy. You got any ads on the enlargement of a certain part of the male anatomy? I get the feeling you'd have something like that in you inbox."

Rhodey glared, but signed into his e-mail anyhow. "Only if you promise to find a way to block this shit."

Tony was laughing too hard to reply.

Pepper could tell that something was wrong. She had been taken from the basement for a moment to use the restroom and had walked in on Michael and 'Steen' arguing about the money. Steen, who was still wearing her mask, was saying that Tony would have sent the money by now if he actually planned on paying, and Michael, who had failed to put on the mask, was asking her what she wanted to do.

Pepper had been hauled to the bathroom before she could hear anything more, but she thought she may have heard the word 'codes'. After being returned to her cell, Pepper fell into an uneasy sleep, only to be woken up by her wrists being untied a moment before she was shoved into a chair where her wrists were then tied to the arm rests and her ankles tied to the legs of the chair. Steen stood in front of her, her face still covered by the mask. "You're going to give me the codes to get into Stark Industries."

Pepper kept her gaze impassive. "I'm Mr. Stark's assistant. I don't know the codes, just what I need to get onto my own server."

"I refuse to believe it."

"You might want to. I don't know anything."

Michael sidled up alongside Steen and his fist flew forward, connecting with Pepper's nose, causing a disgusting crunch and making Pepper scream in pain as blood poured from her nose and dripped into her mouth. She spit, tears streaming down her face. Steen just stared. "Tell me the codes."

"I don't know them!"

Michael backhanded her. "Yes, you do."

"I don't!"

A punch to the stomach. "Tell me the codes and it stops."

Pepper gasped for air, coughing painfully as she tried to say what she wanted to. "You're going to have to write it down." When Steen had a pencil and paper, she nodded the Pepper. "Okay, u-o-y-w-e-r-c-s. Got that?" Steen nodded. "Now reverse it."

Steen's face contorted with rage and she waved her hand to Michael, who punched Pepper again, hard enough to knock over the chair. Pepper cried out as her side hit the ground, pain radiating from her arm, a snap echoing around the room. Pepper screamed in pain as it intensified when the chair was yanked back up and it seemed like Steen was going to ask again, but the door flew open and Matthew stood in the doorway, looking like he was about to kill someone when he saw Pepper's condition. He threw his brother and Steen into the hall and slammed the door shut behind them before cutting Pepper loose.

As soon as Pepper was out of the chair, her head started to go foggy and she fought to stay awake, but knew she was losing the battle. She remembered sobbing in pain as her arm was jostled as Matthew lifted her and after a bit of walking, set her on a soft surface. Then there was nothing but darkness.

When Pepper woke up sometime later, she found herself groaning as light assaulted her eyes, making her head throb, but looking around, she realized she was alone in the small room that she assumed was someone's bedroom. She also found that she was no longer tied up and there was a window in the room. A window that was open, letting the warm breeze blow in.


End file.
